Author: staff

When I first started travelling, the only thing I really cared about was getting from A to B and back again for less. That typically meant picking a random destination I hadn’t been to yet, hitting up Skyscanner for the cheapest deal on that route, and flying at any hour to save €50 that I inevitably spent at the airport anyway because of course I didn’t have lounge access. Nowadays, trip planning looks very, very different. I rarely book return flights, so my choice of destination often comes down to where I’m flying after; I actually care about things like…

Picture this. Stories told during the summer silly season and illustrations for a fictional newspaper describing dogs’ extraordinary encounters with aliens. A plague of dogs arguing in the Japanese Garden and a hint of surrealism hanging over a city on a sweltering summer’s day. “Holiday Courier” by Michał Prażmo is a series of works inspired by summer, with the Polish coal capital Silesia as a backdrop. It’s part of an exhibition entitled “The Last Days of Vacation”. The idea of showing Silesia as a holiday resort was conceived by the show’s curator, Adrian Chorębała, who wanted someone from outside the…

The president of the European Council, António Costa, urged national leaders to home in on several potential taxes during their next gathering in Brussels on Oct. 15. Supporters argue that own resources are essential to generate more revenue and reduce national contributions to the EU from 2028 to 2034. With less than four months to go until the informal deadline, the bloc’s governments have shown openness towards a tax on foreign carbon imports, officially known as the Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM), and a separate levy on non-collected electronic waste. “Of the Commission’s proposals for new Own Resources, the most…

Published on 07/09/2026 – 15:04 GMT+2•Updated 15:07 Latvia has banned the import of books, newspapers and other printed materials from Russia and Belarus, citing “disinformation and war propaganda,” its foreign ministry told AFP on Monday — a move with implications for how EU and NATO members handle information warfare from Moscow. “The import ban is intended to protect Latvia’s security interests and further reduce economic ties with Russia and Belarus, which continue to wage and support (the) war of aggression against Ukraine,” the ministry said. Latvia, a NATO and EU member bordering both Russia and Belarus, has positioned itself firmly…

An Egyptian television presenter faces execution after a Cairo court sentenced her to death for financing and coordinating a synthetic drug network, but her lawyer says they will appeal, and legal experts say the case is far from over. Sarah Khalifa, known for hosting the crime programme Mission Impossible on private channel Al-Mehwar and for her events business, was sentenced on Saturday alongside 11 others in a major synthetic drug manufacturing and trafficking case. Nine defendants received life sentences and seven were acquitted. Those sentenced to death were also fined 500,000 Egyptian pounds (€8,000). Khalifa’s brother Mohamed was among those…

The United Nations human rights chief has warned that advanced artificial intelligence could pose an “existential risk to humanity”, calling for immediate action to make the technology safer. Addressing the UN Human Rights Council on Monday, Volker Türk said people faced “unfamiliar, even unprecedented” threats to their rights. “The need for AI governance is widely acknowledged, but where is the action?” he asked, warning that “delay only benefits the massive tech companies, their owners and enablers”. Türk said that “a handful of men has almost unlimited power over AI, which we are repeatedly told has unimaginable computing capacity”. “They talk…

Published on 07/09/2026 – 14:10 GMT+2•Updated 14:19 The World Nomad Games may be over for another year but the impact of the event is likely to echo throughout Central Asia for some time. After the grand opening at Kyrgyzstan’s Bishkek Arena, the games and more than 3,000 athletes from 110 nations moved to a lake-side venue in the Isyk Kul region, a popular tourist destination. Traditional equestrian and archery skills filled every corner of the Kyrchyn Gorge, as competitors pitted their wits and strengths against each other, giving visitors a lookback in time travelling experience at an ancient style settlement.…

A Renew official, granted anonymity to speak candidly about the meeting agenda, said lawmakers are growing particularly concerned about the prospect of far-right parties taking power in Germany and France, where Marine Le Pen has a commanding lead in the polls for the spring 2027 presidential race. “Pro-Europeans … are worried about what happens after Macron because they recognize his vision and ambition for Europe,” said the official. The burning question on everyone’s lips is what Macron, who cannot run for a third consecutive term, can and will do next. The 48-year-old has given little indication of his plans after…

From everyday staples such as dairy and poultry products to record-breaking regional outbreaks, Salmonella cases are quietly surging across Europe — leaving health officials on high alert as infections reach levels not seen in years. Noodles, eggs, and pumpkin seeds are among the products that have been linked with Salmonella outbreaks in the past months. More recently, in August, more than 300 people fell ill with Salmonella in Belgium after they ate eggs, resulting in a record Salmonella outbreak for the country. Salmonella is the second-most common foodborne illness in the world, and cases have been steadily increasing in Europe…

Published on 07/09/2026 – 13:37 GMT+2 Search and rescue teams combed through the debris of a collapsed hostel building in the Indian capital New Delhi as the death toll climbed to seven, officials said on Monday. The five-storey building, which housed a boys’ hostel, collapsed on Sunday in Satya Niketan, a densely populated neighbourhood known for its private student accommodations near a Delhi University campus. Police, firefighters and crews from India’s disaster response agency continued their search for a second day as earthmovers cleared debris and sniffer dogs worked the site to help rescuers reach those still trapped inside. Rescue…